Rotatable drive operated by highway traffic

ABSTRACT

A drive, powered by vehicles passing in one direction along a lane has a main roll flanked by parallel idler rolls extending transversely of the lane and exposed for engagement by the wheels of passing vehicles with the main roll connected to a drive shaft by which a machine is operated.

United States Patent MacDonald Jul 1, 1975 [54] ROTAT BLE DRIVE OPERATED BY 2,984,369 5/l96l Johnston 74/14 X HIGHWAY TRAFFIC FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS i 1 lflvemori Joseph MacDonald, 200 Leisure 624,303 3/1934 Germany 74/14 v p t n m Mass 433,822 4/1948 ltaly 74/14 02180 22 Filed; 2 973 Primary Examiner-Leonard H. Gerin 21 A l. N 427,717 I I pp 0 57] ABSTRACT [52] US Cl. 74/14, 74, 74/4 X A drive, powered by vehicles passing in one direction [51] Int CL Fl'6h 37,00 along a lane has a main roll flanked by parallel idler [58] Field of 202 206 rolls extending transversely of the lane and exposed for engagement by the wheels of passing vehicles with [56] References Cied the main roll connected to a drive shaft by which 21 UNITED STATES PATENTS machme warmed 2.042.573 6/1936 Wood et al. 74/14 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ROTATABLE DRIVE OPERATED BY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC BACKGROUND REFERENCE U.S. Letters Pat. No. 1,739,075

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Reference is here made to applicants co-pending application entitled Reciprocable Drive Operated By Highway Traffic" and filed on even date herewith.

Present problems in ensuring adequate fuel supplies emphasize the importance of any new energy source.

It has long been recognized that a vehicle moving along a lane may depress a treadle by which a traffic light may be controlled, for one example, or effect the opening of a garage door as shown in the above referred-to United States patent, for another example. As far as I am aware, however, no attempt has been made to operate a machine continuously by utilizing energy that may be derived from vehicles moving in one direction along a highway.

THE PRESENT INVENTION The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a drive for a machine to be operated as continuously by vehicles passing in one direction along a lane as the volume of traffic permits, preferably that of a well travelled highway. This objective is attained by providing an upwardly opening chamber in the highway with a main roll and flanked on each side by parallel idler rolls spanning the chamber opening and extending transversely of the highway. The idler rolls provide a wheel-supporting surface dimensioned to prevent the tires of vehicles passing over the rolls from engaging the main roll and the pavement at the same time as such engagement would brake the main roll.

While the main roll may be otherwise connected to the machine to be operated, another principal objective of the invention is to provide that the connection between the main roll and the machine includes a shaft provided with a fly wheel and yet another objective is to incorporate in the connection a one-way clutch that is releasable should the rate at which the main roll is driven be such as to retard the drive shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, there are shown embodiments of the invention by which FIG. I is a plan view of an installed drive;

FIG. 2 is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 2-2 of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a section, on an increase in scale, taken approximately along the indicated line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an installed drive in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 1 3, a highway lane has a chamber 11 opening through the pavement 12. The end walls 13 of the chamber support beams I4 in which there are located bearings I5 for the rotatable support of a main roll 16 and bearings (not shown) for the support of parallel flanking, idler rolls 17, one series on each side of the main roll 16. A marginal frame I8 is provided to shield the bearings and close the space between the walls of the chamber 11 and the proximate idler rolls I7.

It is essential that the two series of idler rolls 17 provide flanking areas such that the tire of a wheel cannot engage the pavement and the main roll 16 at the same time for ifit does, the drive is braked. The drive roll 17, which may be flexible, may protrude slightly above the pavement or it and the idler rolls may be flush therewith. In tests the main roll I6 was 6 inches in diameter and each series of idler rolls I7 contained three rolls that were 3 inches in diameter with all rolls spaced 3 inches apart. The rolls may have a degree of flexibility but desirably are rigid rolls with knurled surfaces.

At one end, the main roll 16 is provided with a sprocket 19 connected by a chain 20 to a sprocket 21 on the drive shaft 22 of a machine, generally indicated at 23. The machine 23 may be any one of various types. By way of illustration and not by way of limitation, the machine 23 may be a rotary air pump to deliver aerating water into a sewage treatment plant or a compressor to maintain a suitable supply of compressed air at a nearby plant.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 4 and 5 is generallysimilar to that shown in FIGS. 1 3 and corresponding parts are distinguished by the suffix addition A to the appropriate reference numerals and are not again described.

In this embodiment of the invention, the chamber IIA is in communication with a chamber portion 24 opening through the shoulder 25 of the highway lane 10A and the chamber portion 24 houses the machine 23A to permit its service without interrupting traffic. The shaft 23A has a fly wheel 26 connected to a oneway clutch 27 whose drive shaft 28 has a sprocket 29 connected to the roll sprocket 19A by a chain 30.

I claim:

I. A traffic operated rotatable drive for a machine comprising a chamber below but having an opening through the surface of a highway, trafiic supporting means spanning said opening and including a main roll extending transversely of the path of vehicles travelling along said highway in one direction and a plurality of idler rolls on both sides of and parallel to said main roll providing flanking areas dimensioned to prevent the engagement of a tire wheel and it and the pavement at the same time, all of said rolls-exposed to be engaged by the wheels of said vehicles, adrive shaft for said machine, and a connection between said main roll and said shaft.

2. The traffic operated, rotatable drive of claim I in which there are at least three rollers on each side of the power roll.

3. The traffic operated rotatable drive of claim I in which the connection includes a fly wheel.

4. The traffic operated, rotatable drive of claim I in which the connection includes a one-way clutch releasable whenever the rate at which the main roll is rotated by a vehicle would retard the rotation of said shaft.

5. The traffic operated, rotatable drive of claim I in which the connection includes a fly wheel and a oneway clutch releasable whenever the rate at which the main roll is rotated by a vehicle would retard the rotation of said fly wheel.

6. The traffic operated drive of claim 1 in which the traffic supporting means includes a frame in which the ends of the main and idler rolls are journalled and main roll includes a shaft extending into said chamber portion and the connection is between the roll and drive shafts.

10. The traffic operated drive of claim 1 in which the main roll protrudes above the adjacent surface of the pavement. 

1. A traffic operated rotatable drive for a machine comprising a chamber below but having an opening through the surface of a highway, traffic supporting means spanning said opening and including a main roll extending transversely of the path of vehicles travelling along said highway in one direction and a plurality of idler rolls on both sides of and parallel to said main roll providing flanking areas dimensioned to prevent the engagement of a tire wheel and it and the pavement at the same time, all of said rolls exposed to be engaged by the wheels of said vehicles, a drive shaft for said machine, and a connection between said main roll and said shaft.
 2. The traffic operated, rotatable drive of claim 1 in which there are at least three rollers on each side of the power roll.
 3. The traffic operated rotatable drive of claim 1 in which the connection includes a fly wheel.
 4. The traffic operated, rotatable drive of claim 1 in which the connection includes a one-way clutch releasable whenever the rate at which the main roll is rotated by a vehicle would retard the rotation of said shaft.
 5. The traffic operated, rotatable drive of claim 1 in which the connection includes a fly wheel and a one-way clutch releasable whenever the rate at which the main roll is rotated by a vehicle would retard the rotation of said fly wheel.
 6. The traffic operated drive of claim 1 in which the traffic supporting means includes a frame in which the ends of the main and idler rolls are journalled and which includes portions overlying said journalled ends.
 7. The traffic operated drive of claim 6 in which the chamber is dimensioned to receive the machine.
 8. The traffic operated drive of claim 6 and the chamber includes a portion opening through a side of the highway and said portion is dimensioned to receive the machine.
 9. The traffic operated drive of claim 8 in which the main roll includes a shaft extending into said chamber portion and the connection is between the roll and drive shafts.
 10. The traffic operated drive of claim 1 in which the main roll protrudes above the adjacent surface of the pavement. 